---
description: "Where to obtain an API key from each provider — OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Kimi and the OpenAI-compatible services — plus what to watch for."
---
<!--
  Markdown representation of https://docs.jotaid.com/en/guide/api-keys
  Generated by scripts/gen-markdown-variants.mjs — do not edit by hand.
  Served from the canonical URL under `Accept: text/markdown`.
-->

# Getting an API Key

Jotaid's AI runs on [your own key](https://docs.jotaid.com/en/guide/ai-setup), so before configuring anything you need one from a provider. This page is the list of doors.

## The General Flow

Interfaces differ, the steps rarely do:

1. **Create an account** — an email address, sometimes a phone number
2. **Add credit or a payment method** — most are prepaid; a small top-up is enough to start
3. **Create an API key** — under API Keys or similar in the console
4. **Copy it immediately** — nearly every service **shows the key once**; close the dialog and it is gone for good, leaving only regeneration
5. **Paste it into Jotaid** — Settings → AI API, pick the provider, paste

> **Keys are shown once**
>
> This is the norm everywhere. If you did not save it, generate a new one and delete the old — no need to agonise.

## Where to Go

Exact paths change as providers redesign; the official site is the authority.

### Natively Supported

| Provider | Console | Key looks like |
|----------|---------|----------------|
| **OpenAI** | `platform.openai.com` → API keys | starts `sk-` |
| **Anthropic Claude** | `console.anthropic.com` → API Keys | starts `sk-ant-` |
| **Google Gemini** | `aistudio.google.com` → Get API key | an alphanumeric string |
| **DeepSeek** | `platform.deepseek.com` → API keys | starts `sk-` |
| **Moonshot (Kimi)** | `platform.moonshot.cn` → API key management | starts `sk-` |

### OpenAI-compatible Services

These go in as a "custom provider" — a base URL and a key:

| Provider | Console |
|----------|---------|
| **Groq** | `console.groq.com` |
| **OpenRouter** | `openrouter.ai` → Keys |
| **Together AI** | `api.together.xyz` |
| **Mistral** | `console.mistral.ai` |
| **xAI (Grok)** | `console.x.ai` |
| **Zhipu (GLM)** | `open.bigmodel.cn` |
| **Qwen (DashScope)** | `dashscope.console.aliyun.com` |
| **SiliconFlow** | `cloud.siliconflow.cn` |
| **Fireworks AI** | `fireworks.ai` |
| **Perplexity** | `perplexity.ai` → Settings → API |

Jotaid ships a base-URL preset for every one of these, so picking the preset fills that in and leaves you only the key to paste.

### Local Models Need No Key

**Ollama** runs on your own machine: no key, no bill. Install it, pull a model, and select the Ollama preset in Jotaid (default address `http://localhost:11434/v1`).

The trade-off is your hardware and the models it can hold — a small local model is noticeably weaker at long-document analysis than a hosted one. In exchange it is **entirely offline**: not a byte of your notes leaves the machine.

## The Built-in Line-up Varies by Region

The list of native providers in the app follows your App Store region: some regions list DeepSeek and Kimi by default, others list OpenAI, Claude and Gemini.

**The custom-provider path is unaffected** — any region can enter the base URL and key of any OpenAI-compatible endpoint.

## Keeping Costs in Hand

- **Most services are prepaid**: you spend what you topped up and it stops there, with no surprise bill
- **Set a cap where one is offered**: OpenAI and others allow a monthly spend limit — worth setting from the start
- **Jotaid bills nothing in between** and cannot see your usage; the bill exists only at the provider

Every AI call in Jotaid is one **you triggered** (tapping Smart Node, Smart Format, and so on). There is no background polling, so nothing is consumed without your knowing.

## Where the Key Lives

A key you paste into Jotaid is stored in the **system Keychain**:

- **Not in iCloud**, and not synced with your notes
- **Not in backups** — you re-enter it after switching devices
- Used only when you trigger an AI feature, to call that provider

## Next Steps

- [AI Setup](https://docs.jotaid.com/en/guide/ai-setup) — Entering the key and choosing models
- [AI Features](https://docs.jotaid.com/en/guide/ai-features) — What becomes available once it is in
- [Plans & Pricing](https://docs.jotaid.com/en/guide/plans) — Pro and AI usage are two separate bills